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September 25, 2017, New York – In response to news that Barbara Blaine, founder and former president of SNAP (Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests),died yesterday, the Center for Constitutional Rights issued the following statement:

We are deeply saddened by the passing of our friend and colleague Barbara Blaine, founder and past president of SNAP and an extraordinary human being. We honor Barbara's fierce, tireless spirit that left so many thousands of people around the country and around the world knowing that they are not alone and that their voice will be heard. Barbara built a movement of survivors who do the hard work of supporting one another while seeking to hold a seemingly untouchable institution and its powerful leaders accountable.

It was Barbara’s vision to take the case of the Vatican and the former Pope’s crimes against humanity to the International Criminal Court and her perseverance that brought us to the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child in Geneva, and we were honored to support these efforts. Barbara gave hope to survivors everywhere, empowering women, men, and children who had been so radically disempowered by the perpetrators of sexual violence and those officials who ignored, silenced, and covered it up. Barbara leaves behind a movement of passionate advocates who will carry on her legacy, and we at the Center for Constitutional Rights remain in solidarity, always.

The Center for Constitutional Rights works with communities under threat to fight for justice and liberation through litigation, advocacy, and strategic communications. Since 1966, The Center for Constitutional Rights has taken on oppressive systems of power, including structural racism, gender oppression, economic inequity, and governmental overreach. Learn more at ccrjustice.org.